Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, citing a source with knowledge of the situation, reports that Broncos franchise OLB Von Miller has requested more than $70 million to be included in the the first three years of his next contract.
Florio points out that Dolphins DT Ndamukong Suh secure $60 million over the first three years of his record-setting contract, and many feel as though Miller is the better player, so there’s at least some justification for his request.
As an unrestricted free agent, it’s possible that Miller could do even better than the $70 million he’s reportedly looking for. However, Florio mentions that even if the Broncos are unwilling to offer that much in guarantees, he could work down a bit before reaching Suh’s $60 million.
Florio’s source explained that Miller wasn’t requesting that the $70 million be fully guaranteed at signing, considering that if most of it is guaranteed, it’s likely that it all will be paid out.
As Florio explains, a fair expectation for the amount of fully-guaranteed money over three years would be $55.4 million, which happens to be the sum of three years of franchise-tag money for Miller.
Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reported a few days ago that the Broncos’ $114.5 million offer is essentially a two-year, $38.5 million deal that’s guaranteed with another $1.3 million available in a workout bonus.
There has also been some talk that Miller could be better off sitting out the 2016 season than playing under the franchise tag, as it would prevent Denver from using the “exclusive” tag on him in 2017.
Miller, 26, is a former first-round pick of the Broncos back in 2011. After playing out his rookie deal, Denver picked up his fifth-year option and later used their franchise tag on Miller this offseason.
He’s now in line to make $15.701 million fully guaranteed for the 2016 season. However, this won’t prevent them from negotiating a long-term deal that would reduce this figure and offer them some additional cap space.
In 2015, Miller appeared all 16 games and recorded 35 tackles, 11 sacks, three fumble recoveries and four forced fumbles. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 2 outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense out of 53 qualifying players.
We’ll have more regarding a long-term contract for Miller as the news is available.
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